One common apparatus utilized when fishing is a fishing rod with associated reel apparatus for handling of fishing line. Fishing reels come in a variety of different configurations. Common to all fishing reels is the ability to collect and deploy line from the reel as needed by the fisherman. The reel thus includes some form of line storage spool upon which the line is wrapped when the line is being collected onto the reel and is rapidly deployed off of the reel when line is to be deployed. On some reels the line storage spool rotates about an axis perpendicular to a long axis of a pole of the fishing rod. Such a configuration is common with bait casting type fishing reels. Other fishing reels orient a central axis of the line collection spool of the reel generally parallel with the pole of the fishing rod. Such a parallel configuration is common with spin casting type fishing reels.
Reels typically include some form of crank arm which can be rotated by the user to collect line within the reel. Such crank arms can have a single grip or a pair of grips mounted on two separate tips of the arm, depending on the configuration of arm for the reel. Often with spin casting reels the arm is of a single grip variety with the arm generally jogging away from an axis of rotation of the arm to a tip where the grip is located, so that a user can rotate the grip about the axis of rotation of the arm to cause the arm to rotate rapidly, storing line onto the reel.
To optimize the effectiveness with which the fishing rod is utilized, it is often desirable to match a type of line with the tackle utilized with the fishing rod. However, it can be difficult and time consuming to take one line off of a reel and put a different line upon the reel. In a manufacturing setting, large complex machinery can be utilized to rapidly load line of a desired type onto a reel. However, once the reel has been purchased and mounted onto a rod, such equipment is no longer available or suitable for placing of replacement line onto the reel. Accordingly, fisherman will typically hand rotate the arm and grip of the reel to load line off of a storage spool and onto the reel. Such a procedure is rather time consuming and tedious. Also, it is sometimes desirable to change line on a fishing reel while fishing, thereby decreasing the amount of time available for actual fishing that is unproductively utilized merely in loading replacement line onto the reel. Such wasted time is particularly disadvantageous during fishing competitions where time can be a precious commodity. Accordingly, a need exists for a tool to rapidly load line onto a fishing reel.